This site is all about finding large wall clocks you will want to buy and a little about digital, antique and contemporary wall clocks that you may be searching for. I will also touch on atomic wall clocks and maybe help you find a funky digital number for your apartment. But first a little something about what is not a clock at all…

As a journalist in Southeast Asia, I was a bit of an oddball because I didn’t own a watch. All of my colleagues had watches, some which marked the hour in 3 different parts of the world. Some kept a watch permanently set to the hour of wherever “Home” was while others were constantly resetting the time as they traveled from place to place so as not to arrive late for a flight or a meeting or an important interview. And yet they were often caught “running behind schedule” as they called it. Yet, with not a single timepiece on my body, I usually arrived early. When asked how that was possible, I would look up at the sky and point to the sun. I would often think that it was by the sun, heavenly asteroids, satellites and stars that the human need to create demarcations in time originally was satisfied.

The absence of a watch on my physical person was not a reflection of any lack of appreciation for the extraordinary development of watches and clocks, nor did it reflect a slack attitude toward arriving on time, rather it was a gesture of silent protest against mobile timepieces that play a part in the world of “instant” “disposable” and “rushed”, which subtly has replaced patience, durable and relaxed. Which brings me to…

They were carefully crafted works of art, forged in metal with precious stones, carved in wood or housed in great wooden cabinets, adornments for mantels or incorporated into bell towers as part of architectural wonders that remain to this day. In fact, the word clock is derived from clagan and clocca meaning “bell”. For those who are clock lovers the word “clock” and the sound of tic-toc continues to arouse the excitement of a mechanism which acoustically announces an event; the ringing of a bell, the clanging of chimes or the thud of a gong.

Some of the most beautiful and ancient clocks were those that measured the direction of shadows cast by the sun and one of the most unusual ancient clocks was Chinese, powered by a waterwheel. Although there were early clocks in 13th century Europe, it wasn’t until the 17th century that European pendulum clocks became not only a very accurate means to measure time but a pattern for which the large wall clock of today would be modeled. At that time, clocks were handmade showpieces that represented the skill of talented craftsmen such as Christian Huygens and William Clement, famous for their pendulum clocks. Later John Harrison invented a clock that was accurate within 5 seconds over a 10 week period.

Clocks were not only European during this initial stage. In the United States, Eli Terry founded what is the American clock-making industry in 1797. These first clocks were housed in long cases to accommodate the pendulum and therefore known as “longcase clocks”, today simply known as grandfather clocks. It was from these clocks that the very large wall clock emerged. The floor model cases became smaller and smaller. Then the faces of the clocks began to be the focal point, often painted, embedded with gems or bits of glass and mosaic, or adorned in ornate wooden carvings that could be hung from the wall.
Large decorative wall clocks are not just decorative. The basic mechanism, to overly simplify clockwork, is that an object repeats the same motion over and over, be it an oscillator which converts vibrations into pulses, a pendulum and a weight suspended cord and pulley, a spiral spring or an electrical current that drives the regular impulses.

Clocks are classified by the type of time display, as well as by the method of timekeeping. An analog clock usually indicates time using angles while a digital wall clock displays numerals only. You can get wall clocks in both these styles without any trouble these days, both Online and in regular shops.

Originally all clocks were made by clockmakers, every piece handmade, and although nowadays they are produced in factories, the antique models often need repairs. Therefore, although clockmakers no longer MAKE clocks, they must know how to make the intricate parts in order to repair such fine ancient pieces. Clock making is not a totally lost art. Many people collect large antique wall clocks because they are not only beautiful but very valuable, especially if they are signed or marked as authentic by their makers. And just for the record, a clockmaker seldom has anything to do with watches.

Please follow me as I bring you articles about some extra large wall clocks, the wooden masterpieces in the Howard Miller line, some large outdoor wall clocks that can make your garden or patio distinctive in much the same way as yard windmills or a beautiful outdoor rug might. We’ll offer some tips about buying a digital wall clock, what are atomic wall clocks and the wide selection of contemporary wall clocks that are available to choose from online.